Wat Ratchabophit: A Beautiful Bangkok Temple You Shouldn't Miss
Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram on Fueang Nakhon Road is the royal temple of Kings Rama V and Rama VII, blending Thai architecture outside with Western-style interiors. Entry is free.
Meeting Point Management Team
Published · Updated
5 min read
1,826 views
Quick answer
Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram is at 2 Fueang Nakhon Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. Built in the reign of King Rama V, it is the royal temple of Kings Rama V and VII. Highlights include an ordination hall that is Thai outside and European inside, Benjarong tiles, mother-of-pearl doors and the Royal Cemetery. Open daily, free entry, closes at 18:00, walkable from MRT Sanam Chai.
Key takeaways
- Royal temple of King Rama V and King Rama VII on Fueang Nakhon Road
- Ordination hall with Thai exterior and European-style interior
- Lacquer and mother-of-pearl doors and windows showing royal decorations, and hand-painted Benjarong tiles
- The bell-shaped main chedi is the last built in the traditional temple layout
- Royal Cemetery with four golden chedis; open daily, free entry, closes 18:00
Contents
Bangkok has so many beautiful temples. Today Meeting Point is taking you to visit Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram, a beautiful Bangkok temple you shouldn't miss. If you have some free time, strolling around a lovely place like this is a great way to relax.
Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram, or Wat Ratchabophit for short, is the royal temple of King Rama V and King Rama VII. It's located on Fueang Nakhon Road and was built in the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). Its architecture blends Thai and European styles: the exterior is Thai, while the interior of the ordination hall is designed and decorated in Western style. Wat Ratchabophit is one of the temples in Phra Nakhon that's worth visiting at least once, for its beautiful architecture and the exquisite details on its walls and door columns. From every angle, it's peaceful and shady.
The temple's most striking features are the ordination hall, the vihara, the chedi and the cloister, decorated with exquisite Thai patterns in lacquer and mother-of-pearl, with some parts covered in glazed Benjarong tiles. The bell-shaped chedi covered in glazed tiles is the last principal chedi built according to the traditional layout handed down since ancient times.
Highlights of the ordination hall
On the outside, the ordination hall is Thai in style. The front roof has a porch roofed with colored glazed tiles and decorated with chofa, bai raka and hang hong finials. The porch gable shows a seven-headed elephant bearing a golden tray with a crown, flanked by tiered umbrellas supported by a lion (ratchasi) and an elephant-lion (khotchasi). The gable over the main porch shows Vishnu riding Garuda. The doors and windows have half-mondop-shaped arches decorated with gilded stucco. There are 10 doors and 28 windows. Inside they are decorated with gold-on-black lacquer in a rice-offering bouquet pattern, and outside with the insignia of five first-class royal orders. On the doors, these five insignia have sashes encircling them, with chains over the sashes and ribbons hanging from the badges. The mother-of-pearl inlay on these doors and windows is considered one of the most important works of art of the Rattanakosin period. Beside each door arch is a Chinese guardian figure holding a halberd standing on a lion, and beside each window arch is a deity holding a sword amid kanok flame patterns. Inside, the ordination hall mixes European and Thai styles. The ceiling is decorated with golden vine patterns, and the walls between the windows show the unalom symbol alternating with the letter Chor (for Chulalongkorn). Above the central door arch is the personal royal seal of King Rama V, modeled on his ivory seal. The interior and the upper walls between the pillars are painted with scenes from the life of the Buddha, in beautiful colors with gilding in places.
Wat Ratchabophit is the royal temple of King Rama V and also of King Rama VII. King Rama VII did not build a temple for his own reign; instead he took on the duty of maintaining and restoring Wat Ratchabophit, his father's temple, so it is regarded as the temple of his reign as well.
The great chedi, the principal monument of the temple, stands in the center, surrounded by a circular cloister, with the ordination hall in front and the vihara behind. The bell-shaped chedi is covered in glazed tiles and stands above a chamber decorated with arches. Inside is a Khmer-style Buddha sheltered by the naga and 6 other Buddha images. It is the last principal chedi built in the traditional style handed down from ancient times, before the style was revived again in modern times.
The temple's most important works of art include the doors and windows of the ordination hall, decorated with Thai patterns in lacquer and mother-of-pearl depicting various royal insignia, which are incredibly beautiful. The ordination hall, vihara, chedi and cloister are all decorated with glazed Benjarong tiles, every one of them painted by hand, with tile shapes designed to fit perfectly. The chedi, cloister and ordination hall all have graceful, elegant forms.
The Royal Cemetery at Wat Ratchabophit
The Royal Cemetery lies outside the temple's boundary wall on the west side, next to Atsadang Road along the old city moat. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) had it built to hold the ashes and relics of his queens, consorts, royal mothers, sons and daughters, dedicating the merit to them.
The Royal Cemetery is planted with frangipani trees and various shrubs in a beautiful garden. The most important monuments are 4 golden chedis, arranged from north to south, named as follows:
- Sunantha Nusawari holds the ashes of Queen Sunanthakumariratana and her daughter, Princess Kannabhorn Bejaratana.
- Saowapha Pradit Than holds the ashes of the sons and daughters of Queen Saovabha Phongsri and of royal grandchildren, such as Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda.
- Sukhumal Narumit holds the ashes of Queen Sukhumala Marasri, Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, Prince of Nakhon Sawan, and royal grandchildren.
- Rangsi Watthana holds the ashes of the sons and daughters of Queen Savang Vadhana and of royal grandchildren, such as Crown Prince Maha Vajirunhis, Princess Valaya Alongkorn, Prince Mahidol Adulyadej (the Prince Father), and Princess Galyani Vadhana.
There are also other important memorials in the Royal Cemetery, such as those of members of the Yugala royal family; the memorial of Princess Consort Dara Rasmi, holding the ashes of Dara Rasmi and her daughter; the memorial of Chao Khun Phra Prayurawong, known as the "Little Vihara", holding the ashes of Chao Khun Phra Prayurawong (Chao Khun Chom Manda Phae, a consort of King Rama V) and her daughters; and a three-spired prang memorial holding the ashes of Princess Saisavali Bhiromya and her relatives, sons and daughters.
We hope this information is useful. If you get the chance, we'd love for you to visit this beautiful temple at least once.
Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram
- Address: 2 Fueang Nakhon Road, Wat Ratchabophit, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
- Map: https://goo.gl/maps/c11f8q4bH4umuwwX8
- MRT: Get off at Sanam Chai station and walk to the temple
- Hours: Open daily, free entry, closes at 18:00
FAQ
Where is Wat Ratchabophit?
It's at 2 Fueang Nakhon Road, Wat Ratchabophit, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, within walking distance of MRT Sanam Chai.
Is there an entrance fee at Wat Ratchabophit?
No. It's open daily with free entry and closes at 18:00.
What makes Wat Ratchabophit special?
Its ordination hall is Thai on the outside and European on the inside, with mother-of-pearl inlaid doors showing royal insignia and hand-painted Benjarong tiles throughout.
What is the Royal Cemetery at Wat Ratchabophit?
It holds the ashes of King Rama V's queens, consorts and children, marked by four golden chedis in a garden beside Atsadang Road.
The Meeting Point management team loves eating, travelling, temple visits and lifestyle. We pick the restaurants, cafes, stays, attractions and temples we have visited ourselves and write about them honestly.
